Final Rainfall
by ravarath
Summary: And so many words could describe what the two of them had been through, what the pair had seen and fought, but Riku could only think of one word for what he felt now for constant, devoted Sora. [Shonen ai, Sora x Riku. Written for contest. One shot.]


**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, it would be a shonen-ai themed video game. This is a contest entry, so-**

**Theme: Rain/storm. **

**Pairing: Riku x Sora**

**For an explanation, please read the author's note at the end of the fic. It's better if you read it before you complain about this terrible story.**

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"_**Natsukashii iro ni mado ga somaru"**_

"**This window is stained by sorely missed colors." **

**- Utada Hikaru **

_**Passion**_**, Kingdom Hearts II**

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It was a dream, reoccurring, that Sora had never been quite able to tell others. He couldn't quite figure it out in the days passed why he hadn't shared it. It had remained, untouched yet long pondered, within his tumultuous self. And finally possessing time to reflect undisturbed, Sora decided it had remained with him through his journeys with the persistence of a sea-borne wave: ebbing in the daylight when battle and worries took priority. But in the evening his dream, reoccurring, was sure to flow once more, seeping back into his ordeal-weary mind.

Riku surely would have teased him for having such a simple, seemingly straightforward dream. "What's the matter, Sora? Your brain couldn't dream up a real dream?"

_And in this dream, he was seated at the window._ Sora couldn't really remember if he'd ever done such a thing; idle that is. Especially in such a somber setting.

_It was always raining._ In the past days, Sora struggled to remember other details - like the color of the room- but it was always the rain he remembered. A storm it was not; storms are not gentle in nature, and gentle was how he'd always describe the falling cascade of water. _Falling soundlessly onto diamond-bright panes of glass, the raindrops had shimmered as gently and as smoothly as light. _

And there had been colors; Sora was sure of it. _A colorless room lit by a window dotted with softly colored raindrops. _Some had been flecked with silver, and others had been-

"Oi, Sora. Plan on sitting there all day?"

A shadow fell across the brown-haired boy and the sand he sat on. He looked up, offering a wide grin to the newcomer. "Hey Riku."

Bright green eyes visibly rolled, and the other boy readjusted his stance to place pale hands on his hips. "'Hey Riku' he says. Kairi and I've been looking for you all over, and here you were this entire time."

"Why were you guys looking for-" Sora straightened up mid-sentence, one hand moving to cover his face, shamefaced. "Oh! I'm sorry!" The boy immediately jumped to his feet, grains of sand flying up as he did. "I totally forgot about fishing and all the-" He stopped, jogging forward a bit. "Hey! Where are you going, Riku?"

"Where you should be going too: home." He continued to stroll away in a leisurely manner, away from Sora.

"What about fishing?" His question, however, was answered by a sudden, ominous rumbling of thunder. Tilting his head back, Sora noted with surprise the grey sky that was quickly growing darker. "When did-"

"Come on, Sora!" Riku paused his walking to call out again. "It looks like a thunderstorm. Don't want to get caught in it out here, do you?" Riku frowned as his friend continued to stare blankly at the sky.

_And on that iridescent window, _Sora remembered, _had been color-flecked raindrops. _Some had reflected the color of the crying sky: grey and gently pale.

"Sora?"

But, the stormy sky had looked sad; this grey was familiar, comforting. He'd seen it somewhere and-

"Sora!" Strong fingers gripped his chin, jerking him out of his memories to face Riku's worried features. He blinked, eyes caught on the hair on the other boy's shoulders:_ raindrops gently pale grey, like Riku's hair. _

"Sora, snap out of it. What's the matter?"  
_  
What did it mean?_

"I…" He unconsciously brought a hand up to grip the one holding his face. Riku is worried, say something, he distantly thought. But his mind was struggling to remember; for some reason, it was important, and for some reason, it was all coming back right_ now._

Riku watched, bewildered, as Sora's expression turned sad, normally bright eyes blank.

_There were yellow raindrops, bright and golden,_ like the material on the shirts Riku- normal Riku- favored. Having his friend, the one he'd risked so much to bring back, so close and with memories of their journey so fresh…

"Riku, I never told you…"

Seeing those eyes, Sora finally remembered the final, crucial element: green.  
_  
Sea-green, bright as a jewel raindrops had been on his window. Bright and comforting, just like Riku's eyes_. "…when I thought I'd…lost you…" His fingers tightened suddenly on the other boy's hand. "I…"

One last warning clap of thunder, and the rain which had been threatening fell. Ungentle and torrential, it pelted both boys with heavy drops, cold. Riku jerked away with a muttered curse, brushing back grey locks already soaked through by the rain. Wordlessly, he grabbed Sora's hand, pulling him along as he ran towards the nearest shelter.

Through the downfall, through the haze of memory, Sora remembered the ethereal landscape of his dream, reoccurring, almost tangible.

_Grey. Yellow. Green._

Liquid colors dotting and staining the window of his dreams, of his most private thought. Even as the water rained down, Sora realized:

_This window is stained with sorely missed colors._ The colors were Riku; Riku, with his dual personality that could be calm and cool like a grey sky or fierce and bright as a yellow sun. Above all, green: Riku, his Riku, lush and full of life like the green of their home. He was a vital part of Sora's existence, so much that he'd traversed through darkness and sorrow to reclaim him.

Sora presently became aware that rain was no longer striking his skin, and that a soft towel was being pressed into his hands. It was dark in this house, but Riku was there.

He looked up.

Riku stood perfectly still, head turned away. "I…don't think I could ever make up for…what I did. But Sora, I have your forgiveness, right?"

"Yeah." Sora smiled then, taking one step closer. "Riku, you've always had it."

"Then why did you look so sad?" Riku shifted slightly. These eyes of Sora's were shining so brightly, filled with…he wasn't sure what. It was an unfamiliar look, and for some reason, it made his heart ache. But as arms, albeit wet, wound themselves around him, Riku felt what could only be described as relief.

Sora hoped Riku didn't mind the hug. He thought, ruefully, that perhaps he should have used that towel.

"Riku, I missed you." He felt the words pour out, as sudden an as uncontrollable as the rainstorm. "It…hurt so much…" He pulled away a little, so as to look up at Riku's face more closely. "You won't leave again, will you, Riku?"

The remnants of hurt in those blue eyes were never plainer to see, and Riku felt his chest tighten. It ached like a mortal wound to know that he'd put it there. He'd embraced darkness and caused only pain. But Sora, naïve and simple but true Sora, came for him regardless. He couldn't ask for more than that.

"I won't leave again." The words came out quietly, barely there. He wondered when they'd moved so close to each other, toe to toe, Sora's hands resting lightly on his forearms. Those warm fingers, inexplicably, were soothing to his guilty heart, and Riku felt a rush of emotion he could not quite describe with words. Sora, dependent Sora, was the cause of it. It only made sense to never let go again.

"Good." Unexpectedly, Sora grinned broadly. "Cause I definitely won't let you." He laughed against the other boy's chest. "Even if I have to beat you up again to stop you." He was rewarded with a light cuff to the back of his head.

"You make it sound like the easiest thing in the world."

The brown-haired boy prodded his chin with a mischievous finger. "Well, it certainly wasn't that hard." At Riku's affronted expression, Sora burst into peals of laughter. He only held on tighter when the taller boy tried to pull away, sliding his hands up pale arms into the prelude of an embrace, still laughing lightly. "I missed you… so much, Riku."

And the other boy found it difficult to remain offended with that admission. He did, however, examine their positioning more closely: Sora's hands loosely gripped his shoulders, and his own hands hovered hesitantly at the brown-haired boy's waist, fingertips grazing cloth. It seemed as if touch was something they both needed from each other now, a reassurance that the other was indeed there. Having it now, Riku knew that this, whatever it was that held himself and Sora together, should never be let go. And so many words could describe what the two of them had been through, what the pair had seen and fought; but Riku could only think of one word for what he felt now for constant, devoted Sora.

Sora shivered a little when Riku's hands came to rest resolutely on his hips. He inhaled audibly, acutely aware of each breath, sound, and movement. Sora couldn't pinpoint exactly when it was the two of them became so drawn to each other, but it felt familiar, it felt natural. They'd been friends, close and long enough that the transition from platonic affection to…Sora wondered if he'd dare name it.

Riku's absence had haunted him, both in waking hours and in dreams. Perhaps that's why, Sora mused, it always rained in the realm of his dreams when Riku was gone. And that rain had constantly reminded him of what was crucially absent:

Riku.

So when Riku, his Riku, dipped his head to place a shy, questioning kiss on his forehead, Sora felt anxiety, fear, hurt- all those painful burdens he'd shouldered on his journey to Kingdom Hearts- drain out of him in a sigh. He felt those lips again, soft and warm blaze a gentle trail down his face: Riku pressed light kisses to his eyelids, to his cheeks, and to his chin, silently and wordlessly requesting permission. Sora felt his cheeks heat, embarrassingly, but it was highly unimportant right then. For Riku was slipping a hand up to cup those reddened cheeks, and the simple acts absorbed his attention wholly.

He felt almost dizzy to have Riku so close, pressed flush against him. But when slightly moist lips, trembling only just a little, closed the gap to meet his, Sora knew he wouldn't want it any other way.

And the two stayed like that for a while, slowly learning each caress of skin, each movement of the other's mouth. Hands gripped tightly, refusing to relinquish even the slightest touch. Sora couldn't remember who did it first, but soon, inexperienced yet eager tongues slid against each other, all heat and slickness and perfection. Each searing kiss took his breath away, and Sora sucked in ragged breaths between each embrace.

"Riku." He sighed as the other ran a hand through spiky brown locks. "I…"

"I know." Riku loosened his grip on Sora, so as to settle both of them into a more comfortable embrace. And he did know, but it was too soon for him to convey it back in words just yet. Not yet.

And Sora understood: thoughtful, complicated Riku would tell him soon enough. And it would be when he was unerringly ready, rather than just in reply to Sora's admission. And Sora, in his straightforward way, raised himself on tip toes to administer a light peck to Riku's accepting lips, conveying assurance with action.

And promptly sneezed. "Aachoo!" Heels thumped the wooden floor, and Sora found himself laughing once again. "Hahaha, I'm s-sorry, Rik- hahahahaha!" He clapped a hand over his mouth in an attempt to muffle the noise.

Shocked and slightly disgusted, Riku stood stock-still for a minute before turning around, heading straight for the bathroom. Sora followed after him, still giggling from behind his hands. "Hey, are you mad at me?" Riku disappeared into the doorway, and promptly slammed the door in Sora's face. "Hey! Riku!" The brown-haired boy knocked twice, laughing quietly. "I said I was sorry!" He grinned when the door opened, but was met with a pile of clothes being thrown right onto his head.

"Get changed before you catch a cold," Riku said curtly, before closing the door once more.

Mouth slightly agape, the other boy considered knocking again. Hearing the sound of running water, he opted instead to do as Riku suggested. These wet clothes weren't very warm, after all.

Peeling the soaked material off, Sora felt his lips curve into a smile he couldn't help. The past hour had brought…significant changes. Slipping on the dry, white cotton pants, he marveled at the sudden, but welcome events. It was far from being easy and straightforward, but…it wasn't like he and Riku were either.

Pulling the shirt over his head, Sora frowned. These clothes were a bit big, with the pants hanging almost indecently off his hips. And an embarrassing thought occurred to him: Riku had worn these. Heat fairly radiated from his face, and Sora couldn't decide if he ought to feel mortified or…the word his brain finally selected was 'pleased.'

Feeling refreshed and definitely cleaner, Riku draped a towel over his dripping hair, tousling it a bit in his endeavor to dry it. He paused with a hand on the bathroom doorknob, taking several calming breaths. Himself and Sora. How odd that something so simple could bring such contentment to his turbulent soul. A small, yet unmistakable smile graced his lips as Riku mused, the days to come would certainly be…interesting.

He opened the door then, stopping by the bedroom to grab a warm quilt. Sora, no longer in rain-soaked clothes, had decided to sit on the floor in front of the window, gazing thoughtfully out into the storm.

Sora turned as a warm body sat down on his right side, a deft hand laying half of the quilt over his left. And they sat, side by side under the blanket, still learning the other's degree of propensity for touch and limits. It was far too soon for passionate embraces and other "displays of affection" lovers allegedly engaged in, and Sora settled for simply holding Riku's hand. Their fingers, though, became intricately entwined, until one boy's fingers were indistinguishable from the other's. Riku murmured his agreement, and summoned enough sentimentality to lean over and brush a passing kiss to Sora's cheek. He received a happy smile in return, and didn't oppose the hug Sora also gave. Minutes, hours passed, and the two watched the rain slow, thin, and finally stop, giving way to quiet evening.

Riku felt a brush of spiky hair before Sora rested his head lightly on his shoulder. "You know," he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. "Even if you left me behind again, you should know… I'll always catch up." He heard a quiet chuckle from the other boy, along with an equally quiet response.

"I think, from now on, it'll be hard enough for me to keep up with _you._" At Sora's confused look, he added, "Sora, you seem to always find the right path and," He leaned forward, closing the final distance between their lips. "I'll follow you to the very end."

**FIN**

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**A/N: Wow, writing this was **_**quite**_** an effort. Normally, I type my fics out, and only bother with pen and paper if I'm computer-less. But for this one, I wanted some actual thought and some semblance of an editing process, so I went out, bought a two subject (college-ruled. I hate wide ruled) notebook, and started writing on the bus ride to and from home. Altogether, this took me about 4 days of writing, and 1 day of typing. Holy crap. **

**This was written for kitten-chan of Deviant Art's "Memory Lane" contest. This is my first Kingdom Hearts fan fiction, since I normally write in the Naruto section. But I hope you enjoyed it! Please be kind, and as always, comments are much appreciated and all are read! I don't like the messaging protocol set up by so if you'd like to share some input, hit up my profile page for a link to my blog. **

**About the references: If you haven't figured it out already, I built this fic around one of my favorite lines from the Kingdom Hearts II opening song ("Passion" by Utada Hikaru). The first verse, "natsukashii iro ni mado ga somaru," translates roughly to mean "this window is stained with sorely missed colors." I also listened to a LOT of Utada Hikaru's songs while penning this. Can you spot other references? **

**Finally, I apologize for an bits of OOC-ness. actually haven't played much of the KH games (just bits at my friends' house), though I do read the manga. I blame any inaccuracies on this. Eek.**


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